What you’ll need
Direct product links. No commissions earned. Alternatives are grouped under their primary item.1. Correct small areas first
Use the smaller end of the brush to apply color corrector at the inner eye corner and the shadowed pocket beneath it. Mary leaves the natural shadow directly under the eye alone. Keep the layer thin and correct only the discoloration you actually want to cover.
2. Place contour around the face
For this cream contour technique, warm a little product on the back of your hand before placing it. Start near the outer brow, then move toward the forehead and upper cheekbone. Continue along the jaw. Mary uses a deeper shade behind the ear and down the side of the neck; that extra placement is optional.
3. Add optional nose and lip contour
Switch to the small brush. Use the front of the brow as a starting point for a light line down each side of the nose. If you want lip definition, add a very soft shadow around the lip outline. Skip either placement if it is not part of your usual makeup.
4. Place the cream highlight
Use the lighter cream on the center of the forehead, bridge of the nose, under-eye area and beside the nose. Continue onto the center of the chin and just below the cheek contour. This is complexion highlight, not a sparkly highlighter. You do not need to fully blend yet.
5. Blend with a thin layer of foundation
To blend contour under foundation, put one pump of foundation on your hand and work a little into the brush. Lightly sweep over the highlighted areas first, then blend outward over the contour. Use gentle pressure so the colors soften together instead of moving around. Blend what remains down toward the neck.
Source & notes
This guide follows Mary Phillips’s Sephora demonstration. She uses her own m.ph palette and foundation. Choose shades for your skin; the model’s palette and foundation shade are not a universal match.
Product links are optional. Labeled alternatives serve the same type of step and are not the creator’s exact products.
Mary Phillips’s Underpainting Tutorial ↗
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